Layered content selection

ABSTRACT

Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure describe functionality for content selection that efficiently enables block copying of content from an executing application even when content is traditionally non-selectable in the executing application. An application may be executing, for example, on a computing device. Input may be received that triggers activation of a user interface for content selection. A layered view of the application and the user interface may be presented based on the received input. As an example, the layered view presents the user interface layered over the application. A block portion of content from the application may be selected based on a single action. Among other examples, the single action may be a non-continuous device click or a non-continuous touch input processed through the user interface. Additional action(s) for the selected block portion of content may be accessible through the user interface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/350,403, entitled“LAYERED CONTENT SELECTION”, filed on Nov. 14, 2016, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein, in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

New applications/services have increased productivity in many ways. Acommon desire is for users to be able to copy content from oneapplication and paste that content in another application. However, someapplications are not configured to enable content to be directly copied.Even when content can be copied from applications, the process forselecting and copying content is cumbersome. To achieve a selection ofcontent, users are required to perform several actions such as: a firstaction (e.g. press and hold) to request display of a selection box forselecting content, multiple actions for clicking and dragging aselection box over the content the user wishes to select and asubsequent action to select the content. As such, examples of thepresent application are directed to the general technical environmentrelated to improving efficiency for selection of content.

SUMMARY

Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure describe functionalityfor a content selection application that efficiently enables blockcopying of content from an executing application even in instances wherecontent is traditionally non-selectable in the executing application. Anapplication may be executing, for example, on a computing device. Inputmay be received that triggers activation of a user interface for contentselection. As an example, input triggering activation of the userinterface may be received through the computing device. A layered viewof the application and the user interface may be presented based on thereceived input. As an example, the layered view presents the userinterface layered over the application. A block portion of content fromthe application may be selected based on a single action. Among otherexamples, the single action may be a non-continuous device click or anon-continuous touch input processed through the user interface.Additional action(s) for the selected block portion of content may beaccessible through the user interface.

In other non-limiting examples, a user interface for content selectionmay be incorporated in an exemplary content selection application. Afirst application may be executed, for example, by a computing device.Input may be received that triggers activation of a second application.As an example, the second application is an exemplary content selectionapplication. A layered view of the first application and the secondapplication may be presented based on the received input. As an example,the layered view presents the second application layered over the firstapplication. A block portion of content from the first application maybe selected based on a single action. As an example, the single actionmay be processed by the second application. Additional action(s) for theselected block portion of content may be accessible through an exemplarycontent selection application.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionalaspects, features, and/or advantages of examples will be set forth inpart in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparentfrom the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples are described with reference tothe following figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing devicewith which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are simplified block diagrams of a mobile computingdevice with which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a distributed computing systemin which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary method related to content selection processingwhich aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

FIGS. 5A-5D present exemplary user interface views for processingassociated with an exemplary content selection application with whichaspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary system implementable on one or morecomputing devices on which aspects of the present disclosure may bepracticed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure describe functionalityfor a content selection application that efficiently enables blockcopying of content from an executing application even in instances wherecontent is traditionally non-selectable in the executing application. Anexemplary user interface for content selection is described thatinterfaces with other executing applications to enable quick andefficient selection of content without the need to perform numerousactions (e.g. click/drag/select/copy) when attempting to select content.In examples described herein, a block portion of content can be selectedusing a single, non-continuous action. This not only improves a userinteraction with a computing device when attempting to copy blockportions of content but also improves processing efficiency for acomputing device that is being utilized to copy block portions ofcontent. As an example, a user interface for content selection may be acomponent of a content selection application. The content selectionapplication interfaces with other executing applications to enable oneor more portions of content to be copied from another executingapplication even in cases where a portion of the content isnon-selectable directly from the application.

An exemplary content selection application is configured to provide userinterface features that identify block portions of content and enable auser to efficiently select one or more block portions of content. Insome examples, a block portion of content may contain one or moresnippets of content. A snippet of content may comprise one or morewords/characters/numbers/icons etc. In further examples, a snippet ofcontent may comprise other media including images, video, audio,handwritten input, etc. In examples where text portions are beingselected, a block portion of content may comprise two or more snippetsof content. Alternatively, a block portion of content may comprise anycombination of content types, for example, a snippet of text content anda snippet of media content. In some cases, a snippet of content may benon-selectable when using an application other than an exemplary contentselection application. In at least one example, a block portion ofcontent (selected through an exemplary content selection application)may comprise at least one snippet of content that is non-selectable inan application other than the content selection application.

The user interface for content selection may be presented in a layeredview, where the user interface (e.g. of content selection application)is displayed in a layer that is provided over another layer representingan executing application comprising portions of content. An exemplarycontent selection application may be configured to detect an applicationexecuting in a foreground of a computing device (e.g., detectedforeground application). When the content selection application isactivated, the content selection application is layered over thedetected foreground application, which provides a user with an abilityto view and access content of the foreground application while havingaccess to functionality of the content selection application. Quickaccess to additional actions for selected content are also providedthrough an exemplary content selection application. The contentselection application is further configured to provide user interfacefeatures that enable quick access to additional actions for selectedcontent. Examples of additional actions include but are not limited to:copying, adding selected content to a task list, emailing the selectedcontent, sharing the selected content with other users/applications, andediting the selected content, among other examples. Moreover, in furtherexamples, an exemplary content selection application may be configuredto prioritize user interface features that are displayed for a user. Inat least one example, one or more user interface features displayed in acontent selection user interface may be dynamically presented (orupdated) based on one or more of: selected content (e.g. type, format,context, etc.), associated metadata of the content, a type ofapplication from which the content is selected from, and types ofon-going processes executing on a client computing device, among otherexamples. For instance, a content selection application may detect thata block portion of text content is being copied from a web browsingapplication and present user interface features for pasting that blockportion of content in a messaging application, email application and/orword processing application.

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a plurality of technicaladvantages including but not limited to: an ability to select content ina single, non-continuous action, ability to efficiently identify andselect block portions of content, ability to make portions of contentselectable even when the content is non-selectable directly from anapplication, more efficient operation of processing devices (e.g.,saving computing cycles/computing resources) for accessing and utilizingan exemplary content selection application, improving user interactionbetween a user and a computing device executing an exemplary contentselection application and extensibility to integrate differentapplications/services within an exemplary content selection applicationto extend functionality, among other examples.

FIGS. 1-3 and the associated descriptions provide a discussion of avariety of operating environments in which examples of the invention maybe practiced. However, the devices and systems illustrated and discussedwith respect to FIGS. 1-3 are for purposes of example and illustrationand are not limiting of a vast number of computing device configurationsthat may be utilized for practicing examples of the invention, describedherein.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating physical components of acomputing device 102, for example a mobile processing device, with whichexamples of the present disclosure may be practiced. Among otherexamples, computing device 102 may be an exemplary computing deviceconfigured for execution of an exemplary content selectionapplication/service. In a basic configuration, the computing device 102may include at least one processing unit 104 and a system memory 106.Depending on the configuration and type of computing device, the systemmemory 106 may comprise, but is not limited to, volatile storage (e.g.,random access memory), non-volatile storage (e.g., read-only memory),flash memory, or any combination of such memories. The system memory 106may include an operating system 107 and one or more program modules 108suitable for running software programs/modules 120 such as IO manager124, other utility 126 and application 128. As examples, system memory106 may store instructions for execution. Other examples of systemmemory 106 may store data associated with applications. The operatingsystem 107, for example, may be suitable for controlling the operationof the computing device 102. Furthermore, examples of the invention maybe practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operatingsystems, or any other application program and is not limited to anyparticular application or system. This basic configuration isillustrated in FIG. 1 by those components within a dashed line 122. Thecomputing device 102 may have additional features or functionality. Forexample, the computing device 102 may also include additional datastorage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example,magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage isillustrated in FIG. 1 by a removable storage device 109 and anon-removable storage device 110.

As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may bestored in the system memory 106. While executing on the processing unit104, program modules 108 (e.g., Input/Output (I/O) manager 124, otherutility 126 and application 128) may perform processes including, butnot limited to, one or more of the stages of the operations describedthroughout this disclosure. Other program modules that may be used inaccordance with examples of the present invention may include electronicmail and contacts applications, word processing applications,spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentationapplications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, photoediting applications, authoring applications, etc.

Furthermore, examples of the invention may be practiced in an electricalcircuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integratedelectronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing amicroprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements ormicroprocessors. For example, examples of the invention may be practicedvia a system-on-a-chip (SOC) where each or many of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 1 may be integrated onto a single integratedcircuit. Such an SOC device may include one or more processing units,graphics units, communications units, system virtualization units andvarious application functionality all of which are integrated (or“burned”) onto the chip substrate as a single integrated circuit. Whenoperating via an SOC, the functionality described herein may be operatedvia application-specific logic integrated with other components of thecomputing device 102 on the single integrated circuit (chip). Examplesof the present disclosure may also be practiced using other technologiescapable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR,and NOT, including but not limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, andquantum technologies. In addition, examples of the invention may bepracticed within a general purpose computer or in any other circuits orsystems.

The computing device 102 may also have one or more input device(s) 112such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound input device, a device forvoice input/recognition, a touch input device, etc. The output device(s)114 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included.The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used. Thecomputing device 104 may include one or more communication connections116 allowing communications with other computing devices 118. Examplesof suitable communication connections 116 include, but are not limitedto, RF transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver circuitry; universalserial bus (USB), parallel, and/or serial ports.

The term computer readable media as used herein may include computerstorage media. Computer storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, or program modules. The system memory106, the removable storage device 109, and the non-removable storagedevice 110 are all computer storage media examples (i.e., memorystorage.) Computer storage media may include RAM, ROM, electricallyerasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other article of manufacturewhich can be used to store information and which can be accessed by thecomputing device 102. Any such computer storage media may be part of thecomputing device 102. Computer storage media does not include a carrierwave or other propagated or modulated data signal.

Communication media may be embodied by computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated datasignal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, andincludes any information delivery media. The term “modulated datasignal” may describe a signal that has one or more characteristics setor changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Byway of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, andother wireless media.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a mobile computing device 200, for example, amobile telephone, a smart phone, a personal data assistant, a tabletpersonal computer, a phablet, a slate, a laptop computer, and the like,with which examples of the invention may be practiced. Mobile computingdevice 200 may be an exemplary computing device configured for executionof an exemplary content selection application/service. Applicationcommand control may be provided for applications executing on acomputing device such as mobile computing device 200. Applicationcommand control relates to presentation and control of commands for usewith an application through a user interface (UI) or graphical userinterface (GUI). In one example, application command controls may beprogrammed specifically to work with a single application. In otherexamples, application command controls may be programmed to work acrossmore than one application. With reference to FIG. 2A, one example of amobile computing device 200 for implementing the examples isillustrated. In a basic configuration, the mobile computing device 200is a handheld computer having both input elements and output elements.The mobile computing device 200 typically includes a display 205 and oneor more input buttons 210 that allow the user to enter information intothe mobile computing device 200. The display 205 of the mobile computingdevice 200 may also function as an input device (e.g., touch screendisplay). If included, an optional side input element 215 allows furtheruser input. The side input element 215 may be a rotary switch, a button,or any other type of manual input element. In alternative examples,mobile computing device 200 may incorporate more or less input elements.For example, the display 205 may not be a touch screen in some examples.In yet another alternative example, the mobile computing device 200 is aportable phone system, such as a cellular phone. The mobile computingdevice 200 may also include an optional keypad 235. Optional keypad 235may be a physical keypad or a “soft” keypad generated on the touchscreen display or any other soft input panel (SIP). In various examples,the output elements include the display 205 for showing a GUI, a visualindicator 220 (e.g., a light emitting diode), and/or an audio transducer225 (e.g., a speaker). In some examples, the mobile computing device 200incorporates a vibration transducer for providing the user with tactilefeedback. In yet another example, the mobile computing device 200incorporates input and/or output ports, such as an audio input (e.g., amicrophone jack), an audio output (e.g., a headphone jack), and a videooutput (e.g., a HDMI port) for sending signals to or receiving signalsfrom an external device.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of one exampleof a mobile computing device. That is, the mobile computing device 200can incorporate a system (i.e., an architecture) 202 to implement someexamples. In one examples, the system 202 is implemented as a “smartphone” capable of running one or more applications (e.g., browser,e-mail, calendaring, contact managers, messaging clients, games, andmedia clients/players). In some examples, the system 202 is integratedas a computing device, such as an integrated personal digital assistant(PDA), tablet and wireless phone.

One or more application programs 266 may be loaded into the memory 262and run on or in association with the operating system 264. Examples ofthe application programs include phone dialer programs, e-mail programs,personal information management (PIM) programs, word processingprograms, spreadsheet programs, Internet browser programs, messagingprograms, and so forth. The system 202 also includes a non-volatilestorage area 268 within the memory 262. The non-volatile storage area268 may be used to store persistent information that should not be lostif the system 202 is powered down. The application programs 266 may useand store information in the non-volatile storage area 268, such ase-mail or other messages used by an e-mail application, and the like. Asynchronization application (not shown) also resides on the system 202and is programmed to interact with a corresponding synchronizationapplication resident on a host computer to keep the information storedin the non-volatile storage area 268 synchronized with correspondinginformation stored at the host computer. As should be appreciated, otherapplications may be loaded into the memory 262 and run on the mobilecomputing device (e.g. system 202) described herein.

The system 202 has a power supply 270, which may be implemented as oneor more batteries. The power supply 270 might further include anexternal power source, such as an AC adapter or a powered docking cradlethat supplements or recharges the batteries.

The system 202 may include peripheral device port 230 that performs thefunction of facilitating connectivity between system 202 and one or moreperipheral devices. Transmissions to and from the peripheral device port230 are conducted under control of the operating system (OS) 264. Inother words, communications received by the peripheral device port 230may be disseminated to the application programs 266 via the operatingsystem 264, and vice versa.

The system 202 may also include a radio interface layer 272 thatperforms the function of transmitting and receiving radio frequencycommunications. The radio interface layer 272 facilitates wirelessconnectivity between the system 202 and the “outside world,” via acommunications carrier or service provider. Transmissions to and fromthe radio interface layer 272 are conducted under control of theoperating system 264. In other words, communications received by theradio interface layer 272 may be disseminated to the applicationprograms 266 via the operating system 264, and vice versa.

The visual indicator 220 may be used to provide visual notifications,and/or an audio interface 274 may be used for producing audiblenotifications via the audio transducer 225 (as described in thedescription of mobile computing device 200). In the illustrated example,the visual indicator 220 is a light emitting diode (LED) and the audiotransducer 225 is a speaker. These devices may be directly coupled tothe power supply 270 so that when activated, they remain on for aduration dictated by the notification mechanism even though theprocessor 260 and other components might shut down for conservingbattery power. The LED may be programmed to remain on indefinitely untilthe user takes action to indicate the powered-on status of the device.The audio interface 274 is used to provide audible signals to andreceive audible signals from the user. For example, in addition to beingcoupled to the audio transducer 225 (shown in FIG. 2A), the audiointerface 274 may also be coupled to a microphone to receive audibleinput, such as to facilitate a telephone conversation. In accordancewith examples of the present invention, the microphone may also serve asan audio sensor to facilitate control of notifications, as will bedescribed below. The system 202 may further include a video interface276 that enables an operation of an on-board camera 230 to record stillimages, video stream, and the like.

A mobile computing device 200 implementing the system 202 may haveadditional features or functionality. For example, the mobile computingdevice 200 may also include additional data storage devices (removableand/or non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape.Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 2B by the non-volatilestorage area 268.

Data/information generated or captured by the mobile computing device200 and stored via the system 202 may be stored locally on the mobilecomputing device 200, as described above, or the data may be stored onany number of storage media that may be accessed by the device via theradio 272 or via a wired connection between the mobile computing device200 and a separate computing device associated with the mobile computingdevice 200, for example, a server computer in a distributed computingnetwork, such as the Internet. As should be appreciated suchdata/information may be accessed via the mobile computing device 200 viathe radio 272 or via a distributed computing network. Similarly, suchdata/information may be readily transferred between computing devicesfor storage and use according to well-known data/information transferand storage means, including electronic mail and collaborativedata/information sharing systems.

FIG. 3 illustrates one example of the architecture of a system forproviding an application that reliably accesses target data on a storagesystem and handles communication failures to one or more client devices,as described above. The system of FIG. 3 may be an exemplary systemconfigured for execution of an exemplary content selectionapplication/service. Target data accessed, interacted with, or edited inassociation with programming modules 108 and/or applications 120 andstorage/memory (described in FIG. 1) may be stored in differentcommunication channels or other storage types. For example, variousdocuments may be stored using a directory service 322, a web portal 324,a mailbox service 326, an instant messaging store 328, or a socialnetworking site 330, application 128, IO manager 124, other utility 126,and storage systems may use any of these types of systems or the likefor enabling data utilization, as described herein. A server 320 mayprovide storage system for use by a client operating on generalcomputing device 102 and mobile device(s) 200 through network 315. Byway of example, network 315 may comprise the Internet or any other typeof local or wide area network, and a client node may be implemented forconnecting to network 315. Examples of a client node comprise but arenot limited to: a computing device 102 embodied in a personal computer,a tablet computing device, and/or by a mobile computing device 200(e.g., mobile processing device). As an example, a client node mayconnect to the network 315 using a wireless network connection (e.g.WiFi connection, Bluetooth, etc.). However, examples described hereinmay also extend to connecting to network 315 via a hardwire connection.Any of these examples of the client computing device 102 or 200 mayobtain content from the store 316.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary method 400 related to content selectionprocessing in which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced.As an example, method 400 may be executed by an exemplary processingdevice and/or system such as those shown in FIGS. 1-3. In examples,method 400 may execute on a device comprising at least one processorconfigured to store and execute operations, programs or instructions.Operations performed in method 400 may correspond to operations executedby a system and/or service that executes computer programs, applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs), neural networks or machine-learningprocessing, among other examples. As an example, processing operationsexecuted in method 400 may be performed by one or more hardwarecomponents. In another example, processing operations executed in method400 may be performed by one or more software components. In someexamples, processing operations described in method 400 may be executedby one or more applications/services associated with a web service thathas access to a plurality of application/services, devices, knowledgeresources, etc. In alternate examples, processing operations describedin method 400 may be implemented by one or more components connectedover a distributed network, for example, as described in system 600 (ofFIG. 6). While method 400 is written from the perspective of a clientcomputing device, the claimed invention may extend to embodimentswritten from the perspective of a client device, server device and/or asystem that comprises multiple computing devices.

Method 400 begins at processing operation 402, where one or moreapplications are executing on a computing device. Examples of acomputing device have been previously provided in the description ofFIGS. 1-3. Additional examples of a computing device are subsequentlyprovided in the description of FIG. 6 (e.g. processing device 602). Inone example, a computing device is a mobile device such as a mobilephone, tablet, laptop, wearable device, etc.

A computing device may be executing (processing operation 402) one ormore application/services. Applicable examples do not limit the type ofapplication/service, such that an application/service may be any kind ofapplication that includes content, whether the content is provideddirectly by the application/service provider or accessed from anotherresource. Examples of applications/services include operating system(OS) services, for example, that provide OS content on a home screen ofa computing device. In some cases, content of an application/service maynot be selectable from within an application/service that is used toaccess the content. For example, an executing application/service maynot possess select/copy/paste functionality.

Flow may proceed to processing operation 404, where an input is receivedthat activates an exemplary content selection application. An exemplarycontent selection application/service is configured to interface withother executing applications to enable quick and efficient selection ofcontent without the need to perform numerous actions (e.g.,click/drag/select/copy) when attempting to select/copy content. Thecontent selection application is configured to provide user interfacefeatures that identify block portions of content and enable a user toefficiently select one or more block portions of content. The contentselection application is also configured to interface with a computingdevice (executing the content selection application and/or otherapplications/services) to improve processing efficiency for access tothe content selection application. Examples of an exemplary contentselection application are provided in at least FIGS. 5A-5D.

In processing operation 404, activation of an exemplary contentselection application may include examples where the content selectionapplication is launched (e.g., when not already active) or exampleswhere display of the content selection application is recalled (e.g.,content selection application is already running). Receiving (processingoperation 404) of an input to activate a content selection applicationcomprises detecting, through an interaction with the computing device,an intent to access the content selection application. Examples of inputthat may be received that indicate an intent to activate a contentselection application include but are not limited to: selection of anapplication/service icon for the content selection application throughtouch or device input, receipt of a spoken utterance requesting accessto the content selection application, selection of a user interfaceadd-on displayed within an executing application/service, and aninteraction with a component of a computing device (e.g., gesture, hotkey selection, pressing a button). In one example an action such aspressing and holding down a home key of a mobile computing device may bea trigger for activation of a user interface of the content selectionapplication. For instance, an exemplary content selection applicationmay be executing in a background of an OS, where an input receivedthrough the computing device may trigger display of a user interface ofthe content selection application within a foreground of the OS. Referto FIG. 5A and the accompanying description, which further illustratesan example where a button on a computing device triggers display of anexemplary user interface for content selection. In cases where thecontent selection application is running but not displayed (e.g., in abackground of an OS), the content selection application may beconfigured to detect input received through the computing device, forexample, where an action triggers display of the content selectionapplication.

Flow may proceed to processing operation 406, where a computing devicedisplays a layered view of executing applications. The layered view maycomprise presentation of at least one executing application (processingoperation 402) and the content selection application. In one example ofthe layered view, the content selection application is displayed in alayer that is provided over another layer representing an executingapplication comprising portions of content. Refer to FIGS. 5B and 5C forillustrative examples of an exemplary layered view.

In one example, an exemplary layered view presents an exemplary userinterface for content selection on top of a detected foregroundapplication based on the following processing operations. A userinterface (UI) tree of a detected foreground application is accessed andevaluated. Evaluation of a UI tree for a detected foreground applicationmay comprise identifying a plurality of UI elements associated with thedetected foreground application. Out of the identified UI elements, asubset of UI elements that are most likely to be selected by a user areidentified. In detecting a likelihood of a user selecting a UI element,modeling and/or statistical analysis may be applied that evaluates typesof content associated with a user interface element, among otherexamples. For instance, UI elements associated with navigationalelements, image buttons, etc. may be left out since such UI elementswould not have a high likelihood of being selected by a user. Anexemplary content selection application may further be configured tocreate interactive UI elements on top of each UI element in the subsetof UI elements identified from a detected foreground application. Thisenables a user to select specific portions of content through a userinterface for content selection while maintaining consistency with theUI elements of a detected foreground application. To create theinteractive UI elements, positions and dimensions of UI elements of thedetected foreground application are replicated and applied to aninteractive UI element overlaying the UI element of the detectedforeground application. Interactivity is then added to the interactiveUI element, which can be accessed through the user interface for contentselection.

The content selection application may be configured to detect anapplication executing in a foreground of a computing device (i.e.,foreground application). When the content selection application isactivated, the content selection application is layered over thedetected foreground application, which provides a user with an abilityto view and access content of the foreground application while havingaccess to functionality of the content selection application. Anexemplary content selection application may be configured to interfacewith the computing device and/or other executing applications to detectan application that is executed in the foreground of the computingdevice. As an example, the content selection application may employ anapplication programming interface (API) to detect an application that isexecuting in a foreground of the computing device.

During execution of the content selection application (e.g., aspresented in a layered view), flow of method 400 may proceed to decisionoperation 408, where it is determined whether a user interface (UI)feature is selected for identifying one or more block portions ofcontent from a detected foreground application. The content selectionapplication is configured to provide a user interface feature thatenables identification of block portions of content from a detectedforeground application. Examples of an exemplary UI feature foridentification of block portions of content is illustrated in FIGS. 5Band 5D and subsequently described therein. Selection of an exemplary UIfeature for identifying block portions of content from a foregroundapplication may be made in any manner including but not limited to: atap gesture, selection via a component/device and receipt of a spokenutterance, among other examples. In one example, a tap gesture may beused to select an exemplary UI feature, where the tap gesture is asingle, non-continuous action (e.g., click).

A block portion of content may contain one or more snippets of content.A snippet of content may comprise one or morewords/characters/numbers/icons etc. In further examples, a snippet ofcontent may comprise other media including images, video, audio,handwritten input, etc. In instances where text portions are beingselected, a block portion of content may comprise two or more snippetsof content. Alternatively, a block portion of content may comprise anycombination of content types, for example, a snippet of text content anda snippet of media content. In some cases, a snippet of content may benon-selectable when using an application other than an exemplary contentselection application. In at least one example, a block portion ofcontent (selected through an exemplary content selection application)may comprise at least one snippet of content that is non-selectable inan application other than the content selection application.

An exemplary content selection application is configured to executeprocessing operations to identify block portions of content. Forinstance, the content selection application may be configured tointerface with a detected foreground application to execute operationscomprising any of: accessing program/source code associated with adetected foreground application, detecting a focus (e.g., on particularcontent) within a foreground application, parsing the program/sourcecode to identify portions of content (e.g., evaluating types of content,delimiters, applying language understanding processing), identifyingsize of a block portion of content, identifying size of a bounding boxfor the block portion of content, identifying bounding box elements(e.g., where multiple snippets of content are included in an exemplaryblock portion of content), generating (e.g., pre-drawing) a bounding boxto delimit exemplary block portions of content and copying exemplaryblock portions of content (e.g., based on UI feature selection), amongother examples.

In examples, non-selectable content (e.g. text, media objects, etc.) maybe identified by examining a source that is providing the content. Forinstance, processing operations for parsing/crawling/evaluating sourcecode associated with providing content may be executed to identifyportions of content. In cases where content is identified as not beingselectable, further processing operations may be executed on theback-end to enable a portion of content to be provided through anexemplary user interface for content selection. For instance,selection/copy/paste operations may be automatically executed to presenta block portion of content within an exemplary user interface forcontent selection. In some examples, processing operations may beexecuted to modify a portion of content before displaying the portion ofcontent through the user interface for content selection. For instance,content may be unformatted or comprise misspellings or errors preventingdisplay in a foreground application, which can be manipulated to improvean experience for a user when using an exemplary content selectionapplication. An exemplary content selection application may interfacewith other applications/services to provide extensibility for thecontent selection application to execute processing operations includingprocessing operations for interfacing with detected foregroundapplications and identification of non-selectable content from adetected foreground application, among other examples.

In instances where a UI feature for identifying block portions ofcontent is not selected, flow branches NO and processing of method 400remains idle until subsequent processing is received. In instances wherea UI feature for identifying block portions of content is selected, flowbranches YES and processing proceeds to operation 410.

At processing operation 410, one or more block portions of content areidentified. In one example, processing operation 410 comprisesidentifying, within the layered view, the one or more block portions ofcontent that exist within the foreground application. Block portions ofcontent may be identified based on selection of a UI feature within thecontent selection application (e.g. interactive UI feature described inthe foregoing). A visual result of identification (processing operation410) is illustrated in at least FIG. 5C. Through the described userinterface feature for identification of block portions of content, anexemplary content selection application automates processing ofselecting an entire block portion of content without requiring a user tomanually enter multiple inputs and then require a computing device toprocess those manual inputs. Additionally, the content selection isconfigured to identify a plurality of block portions of content based ona single action selecting an exemplary UI feature for identifying blockportions of content. In one example, the single action is anon-continuous gesture/input (e.g., tap or click).

The disclosed identification of block portions of content providestechnical advantages over functionality such as a “select all” featurein that processing efficiency as well as user interaction (with thecontent selection application) is improved. For instance, if a “selectall” function is used to select content from an application, all contentwould be selected without providing the user with the flexibility ofbreaking out the content into several smaller block portions. A usercould attempt to manually identify and select individual portions ofcontent from a foreground application. However, as previouslyidentified, that process is cumbersome and requires a larger number ofactions to be executed to accomplish such a task.

Additionally, functionality described herein for identification of blockportions content (and subsequently enabling selection of the blockportions of content) is beneficial in examples where anapplication/service executing in a foreground does not traditionallyenable select/copy/paste functionality. The exemplary content selectionapplication interfaces with a detected foreground application to enableselection of non-selectable content. Moreover, the exemplary contentselection application interfaces with a detected foreground applicationto extend select/copy/paste functionality, among other features, whichalso might not be available in other applications/services. Moreover, infurther examples, an exemplary content selection application may beconfigured to prioritize user interface features that are displayed fora user. In at least one example, one or more user interface featuresdisplayed in a content selection user interface may be dynamicallypresented (or updated) based on one or more of: selected content (e.g.type, format, context, etc.), associated metadata of the content, a typeof application from which the content is selected from, and types ofon-going processes executing on a client computing device, among otherexamples. For instance, a content selection application may detect thata block portion of text content is being copied from a web browsingapplication and present user interface features for pasting that blockportion of content in a messaging application, email application and/orword processing application.

Identification of an exemplary block portion of content compriseshighlighting the block portion of content using a bounding box. Aspreviously described, a block portion of content may comprise multiplesnippets of content. In at least one example, an exemplary bounding box,generated by the content selection application, may comprise one or moreindividual bounding boxes (within a larger bounding box for the blockportion of content), where an individual bounding box may be associatedwith snippets of content. In some examples, a user may choose toselect/copy individual bounding boxes from a block portion of content,resulting in a selection of an individual bounding box. This can assista user with making selections of specific parts of a block portion ofcontent, for example, without having to click on content, drag abounding box around the content and then select the content.

Flow may proceed to decision operation 412, where it is determinedwhether a selection is made of a block portion of content. As describedpreviously, a content selection application is configured to identifyblock portions of content from a detected foreground application. In oneexample, a user may select a block portion of content through a single,non-continuous action such as tap gesture or click gesture. Forinstance, a user may provide input by tapping on an identified blockportion of content (or individual bounding box of a block portion),which results in the content selection application selecting the blockportion of content.

In alternative examples, a user may select a UI feature for anadditional action (e.g., copy, task, email share), which results in anautomated selection of one or more identified block portions of content.

In yet another alternative example, the single action for selecting anexemplary UI feature for identifying block portions of content may be acontinuous single gesture (e.g., press and hold). This may occur when auser desires to access a functionality where the content selectionapplication is configured to identify, select and/or copy portions ofblock content based on the single action. For instance, holding down anexemplary UI feature for identification of block portions of content fora shorter amount of time may identify, select and/or copy a smallernumber of block portions of content than an instance where a userexecutes a press and hold gesture for a longer amount of time.

In instances where a block portion of content is not selected, flowbranches NO and processing of method 400 remains idle until subsequentprocessing is received. In instances where a block portion of content isselected, flow branches YES and processing proceeds to operation 414. Atprocessing operation 414, the content selection application selects anexemplary block portion of content, for example, based on a receiveduser input. Subsequent actions may be taken with respect to a selectedblock portion of content.

For selected content, flow may proceed to decision operation 416, whereit is determined whether input is received requesting an additionalaction with respect to selected content. In instances where anadditional action is not requested, flow branches NO and processing ofmethod 400 remains idle until subsequent processing is received. Inexamples where input is received requesting an additional action, flowbranches YES and proceed to operation 418.

At processing operation 418, an additional action is executed based onan input received from a user. The content selection application isconfigured to provide user interface features that enable quick accessto additional actions for selected content. Examples of additionalactions include but are not limited to: copying, adding selected contentto a task list, emailing the selected content, sharing the selectedcontent with other users/applications, and editing the selected content,among other examples. In one example, an additional action executed is acopying of the selected block portion of content, for example, based ona received request to copy the selected block portion of content.Further subsequent actions may comprise pasting the block portion ofcontent in another application based on received input to paste theblock portion of content. Refer to FIGS. 5A-5D and the accompanyingdescription illustrating an exemplary application command control for acontent selection application. One skilled in the art that understandsthe present disclosure should recognize that application command controlfor the content selection may vary. For instance, an exemplary contentselection application may be configured to interface with additionalresources that can extend the functionality of the content selectionapplication while improving processing efficiency for access toextensible functionality.

FIGS. 5A-5D present exemplary user interface views for processingassociated with an exemplary content selection application with whichaspects of the present disclosure may be practiced. User interface viewsshown in FIGS. 5A-5D are examples of added user interface functionalityrelated to an exemplary content selection application and interactionsbetween the content selection application and otherapplications/services. One skilled in the art that understands thepresent disclosure should recognize that presentation of user interfaceelements described herein may vary while maintaining the spirit of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5A illustrates user interface view 500. User interface view 500 isa view of a word processing application 502 executing on a mobilecomputing device (e.g., mobile phone). However, examples describedherein are applicable to all types of computing devices. The wordprocessing application is an example of a detected foregroundapplication that is executing on the mobile computing device. Inexecution, the word processing application 502 is presenting a document(“Cooking Recipe.doc”) that comprises portions of content. A user mayutilize a home button 504 of the mobile computing device to triggeractivation of an exemplary content selection application. For instance,a user may press and hold down the home button 504, which may triggerdisplay of an exemplary user interface of the content selectionapplication as part of an exemplary layered view (as describedpreviously). In alternative examples, user interface functionalitydescribed herein may be an add-on to another type of application, wherea received input may trigger display of user interface featuresassociated with content selection. In other alternative examples,display of user interface features associated with content selection maynot require a received input to trigger presentation of contentselection functionality described herein. For instance, contentselection functionality described herein may be incorporated within anyapplication such as a web browsing application or personal intelligentassistant application, among other examples.

FIG. 5B illustrates user interface view 520. User interface view 520presents an exemplary layered view that comprises a user interface of anexemplary content selection application that is layered over the wordprocessing application 502. User interface view 520 illustrates alayered view being presented on a mobile computing device. However,examples described herein are applicable to all types of computingdevices. The content selection application comprises user interface (UI)features for application command control, which is layered over the wordprocessing application 502. For instance, a menu 522 presents a varietyof UI features that pertain to additional actions that a user canutilize for selected content. Additionally, the content selectionapplication comprises a UI feature 524 for identification of blockportions of content (e.g., “T”). A result of selection of UI feature 524is illustrated in user interface view 540 (FIG. 5C).

FIG. 5C illustrates user interface view 540. User interface view 540presents an exemplary layered view that comprises a user interface of anexemplary content selection application that is layered over the wordprocessing application 502. User interface view 540 illustrates alayered view being presented on a mobile computing device. However,examples described herein are applicable to all types of computingdevices. User interface view 540 presents a result of an exemplaryresult of selection of UI feature 524 is illustrated in user interfaceview 520 (FIG. 5B). Selection of UI feature 524 triggers identificationof block portions of content associated with the document beingpresented in the word processing application 502. For instance, a firstblock portion of content 542 is identified by a first bounding box thatis generated based on the processing operations described in method 400.A second block portion of content 548 is identified by a second boundingbox that is generated based on the processing operations described inmethod 400. As illustrated in user interface view 540, an identifiedblock portion of content may comprise multiple individual bounding boxesthat can identify snippets of content within a block portion of content.As an example, such functionality is illustrated with respect to thefirst block portion of content 542, that comprises at least a firstindividual bounding box 544 and a second individual bounding box 546. Itshould be recognized that the illustrated example shows additionalindividual bounding boxes within the first block portion of content 542,where a user can select the additional individual bounding boxes forselection of snippets of content. While the illustrated individualbounding boxes 544 and 546 are each shown comprising a single line oftext, it should be appreciated that such boxes may each comprisemultiple lines of text (e.g., a sentence or paragraph over multiplelines.) It should be recognized that the second block portion of content548 also contains a plurality of individual bounding boxes (notlabeled). A user may provide input indicating a selection of one or moreblock portions of content (or individual bounding boxes) and furtherselect a UI feature for an additional action from the menu 522 of thecontent selection application. As an example, a user selects a UIfeature 550 for copying of a selected portion of content. As identifiedin previous examples, the content selection application enables morethan one block portion of content to be selected simultaneously whilemaintaining individuality of the respective block portions of content.This further enables individual block portions of content to bere-selected and/or re-copied without requiring continuous gestureselection (e.g., press and hold to select a full block portion ofcontent or execute multiple actions to re-copy the content). A result ofselection of UI feature 550 is illustrated in user interface view 560(FIG. 5D).

FIG. 5D illustrates user interface view 560. User interface view 560 isanother exemplary layered view presenting a user interface of anexemplary content selection application that is layered over a messagingapplication 562 executing on a mobile computing device (e.g., mobilephone). User interface view 560 presents a result of an exemplary resultof selection of UI feature 550 is illustrated in user interface view 540(FIG. 5C). One skilled in the art should recognize that a user may takeadditional manual action to access the messaging application 562 such aslaunching or activating a messaging application. In another example, thecontent selection application may be configured to enable a user toselect an application (e.g., messaging application 562) when takingadditional action with respect to selected content. User interface view560 illustrates a result of a user executing a paste operation in themessaging application 562. As illustrated in processing device view 560,selected content from the word processing application 502 is pasted inthe messaging application 562. In one example, a paste operation mayoccur based on a selection of UI feature 564. For instance, a layeredview that comprises the content selection application may include UIfeature 564 displayed over messaging application 562. When content isselected (e.g., from the word processing application 502 as described inFIG. 5C), selection of UI feature 564 in user interface view 560 maytrigger an operation that pastes the selected content into the messagingapplication 562. In some examples, the content selection application maybe configured to display bounding boxes for specific block portions ofcontent immediately upon pasting content into a new application. Inother examples, a user may provide a gesture re-selecting a blockportion of content, which may trigger display of a bounding box for theblock portion of content.

In some alternative examples, pasting of content into anotherapplication may trigger display of a preview of the content.Alternatively, a preview of a block portion of content may be generatedand displayed when content provided through the content selectionapplication is transmitted through another application (e.g., messagingapplication 562). For instance, if a user selects to send a message thatincludes an exemplary block portion of content, that block portion ofcontent may display as a preview in a sent message (e.g., text message).In one example, a user may select a preview to display a fullrepresentation of a block portion of content.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary system 600 implementable on one or morecomputing devices on which aspects of the present disclosure may bepracticed. System 600 may be an exemplary system for log data evaluationand subsequent processing based on results of the log data evaluation.Components of system 600 may be hardware components or softwareimplemented on and/or executed by hardware components. In examples,system 600 may include any of hardware components (e.g., ASIC, otherdevices used to execute/run an OS, and software components (e.g.,applications, application programming interfaces, modules, virtualmachines, runtime libraries) running on hardware. In one example, anexemplary system 600 may provide an environment for software componentsto run, obey constraints set for operating, and makes use of resourcesor facilities of the systems/processing devices, where components may besoftware (e.g., application, program, module) running on one or moreprocessing devices. For instance, software (e.g., applications,operational instructions, modules) may be executed on a processingdevice such as a computer, mobile device (e.g., smartphone/phone,tablet) and/or any other type of electronic devices. As an example of aprocessing device operating environment, refer to operating environmentsof FIGS. 1-3. One or more components of system 600 may be configured toexecute any of the processing operations described in at least method400 described in the description of FIG. 4 and described in thedescription of FIGS. 5A-5D. In other examples, the components of systemsdisclosed herein may be spread across multiple devices. Exemplary system600 comprises application components 606 that further comprise: anapplication/service component 608, a content selection component 610 anda platform resource component 612, where each of the identifiedcomponents may comprise one or more additional components.

One or more data stores/storages or other memory may be associated withsystem 600. For example, a component of system 600 may have one or moredata storage(s) 614 (described below) associated therewith. Dataassociated with a component of system 600 may be stored thereon as wellas processing operations/instructions executed by a component of system600. Furthermore, it is presented that application components of system600 may interface with other application services. Application servicesmay be any resource that may extend functionality of one or morecomponents of system 600. Application services may include but are notlimited to: personal intelligent assistant services, productivityapplications, web search services, e-mail applications, calendars,device management services, address book services, informationalservices, line-of-business (LOB) management services, customerrelationship management (CRM) services, debugging services, accountingservices, payroll services and services and/or websites that are hostedor controlled by third parties, among other examples. Applicationservices may further include other websites and/or applications hostedby third parties such as social media websites; photo sharing websites;video and music streaming websites; search engine websites; sports, newsor entertainment websites, and the like. Application services mayfurther provide analytics, data compilation and/or storage service,etc., in association with components of system 600.

System 600 may comprise one or more storage(s) 614 that may store dataassociated with operation of one or more components of system 600. Inexamples, storage(s) 614 may interface with other components of system600. Data associated with any component of system 600 may be stored instorage(s) 614, where components may be connected to storage(s) 614 overa distributed network including cloud computing platforms andinfrastructure services. Exemplary storage(s) 614 may be any of afirst-party source, a second-party source, and a third-party source.Storage(s) 614 are any physical or virtual memory space. Storage(s) 614may store any data for processing operations performed by components ofsystem 600, retained data from processing operations, stored programs,code or application programming interfaces (APIs), training data, linksto resources internal and external to system 600 and knowledge dataamong other examples. Furthermore, in examples, components of system 600may utilize knowledge data in processing by components of system 600.Knowledge may be used by one or more components of system 600 to improveprocessing of any of the application components 606 where knowledge datacan be obtained from resources internal or external to system 600. Inexamples, knowledge data may be maintained in storage(s) 614 orretrieved from one or more resources external to system 600 by knowledgefetch operation. In examples (as described below) storage(s) 614 maystore exemplary data programs/services and other types of data for:execution of applications/services including an exemplary contentselection application, interfacing between applications/services (e.g.interaction between the content selection application and otherexecuting applications), detection of applications in a foreground,evaluation of content associated with application/services,identification of block content, selection of block content, subsequentactions for selected block content, application command controlincluding user interface features of an exemplary content selectionapplication, interaction with a computing device, retrieval of knowledgedata, user specific data and application specific data among otherexamples.

In FIG. 6, processing device 602 may be any device comprising at leastone processor and at least one memory/storage. Examples of processingdevice 602 may include but are not limited to: processing devices suchas desktop computers, servers, phones, tablets, phablets, slates,laptops, wearable computing devices and any other collection ofelectrical components such as devices having one or more processors orcircuits. In one example processing device 602 may be a device of a userthat is executing applications/services. In examples, processing device602 may communicate with the application components 606 via a network604. In one aspect, network 404 is a distributed computing network, suchas the Internet. Application services may communicate with applicationcomponents 606 via the network 604. Processing device 602 may be adevice as described in the description of FIGS. 1-3. In some examples,processing device 602 may comprise multiple connected devices.Processing device 602 is an example of a user computing device.

The processing device 602 may execute processing operations that includean ability to access an application/service through a user account. Inone example, processing device 602 may connect an authenticated user toan exemplary application/service that stores user data for one or moreusers of the application/service. An exemplary storageapplication/service may provide a user of processing device 602 withaccess to data stored in an exemplary data center. In one example,processing device 602 may be connected with storage(s) 614 via adistributed network, which may provide users with access to user data.One or more tenant resources (e.g. Tenant Resource A, Tenant Resource B,Tenant Resource C, etc.) may be associated with processing device 602. Atenant resource may be a user account associated with a processingdevice and/or distributed network service. Data associated with a tenantresource may be stored on storage(s) 614, where a tenant account can beutilized to access stored data by processing device 602 and/or otherprocessing devices.

The application components 606 are a collection of components thatinterface to enable processing of an exemplary content selectionapplication/service. As identified above, application components 606 maycomprise: an application/service component 608, a content selectioncomponent 610 and a platform resource component 612.

The application/service component 608 is a component that is configuredto execute and management applications other than an exemplary contentselection application. The content selection component 610 may interfacewith the application/service component 608 to detect a foregroundapplication and present exemplary layered views that comprise thecontent selection application. Among other examples, theapplication/service component 608 may also provide access to access tosource code enabling the content selection component 610 to identifyblock portions of content including portions of content that arenon-selectable directly through an application/service.

The content selection component 610 is a component that is configured toexecute processing operations described in at least method 400 (FIG. 4).Further examples of processing operations of the content selectioncomponent 610 are described in the description of FIGS. 5A-5D. Inalternative examples, the content selection component 610 may beconfigured to provide functionality and/or add-ons in other existingapplications. For instance, features provided by the content selectionapplication may be incorporated into application command control ofother executing applications.

The platform resource component 612 is a component that is configured tointerface with the content selection component 610 to extendfunctionality of an exemplary content selection application. As anexample, the platform resource component 612 may provide applicationservices (previously described) that enhance processing by an exemplarycontent selection application.

Reference has been made throughout this specification to “one example”or “an example,” meaning that a particular described feature, structure,or characteristic is included in at least one example. Thus, usage ofsuch phrases may refer to more than just one example. Furthermore, thedescribed features, structures, or characteristics may be combined inany suitable manner in one or more examples.

One skilled in the relevant art may recognize, however, that theexamples may be practiced without one or more of the specific details,or with other methods, resources, materials, etc. In other instances,well known structures, resources, or operations have not been shown ordescribed in detail merely to observe obscuring aspects of the examples.

While sample examples and applications have been illustrated anddescribed, it is to be understood that the examples are not limited tothe precise configuration and resources described above. Variousmodifications, changes, and variations apparent to those skilled in theart may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of themethods and systems disclosed herein without departing from the scope ofthe claimed examples.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: executing, by a computingdevice, a first application that comprises content; receiving, by thecomputing device, an input that triggers activation of a user interfacefor a content selection application; displaying, based on the receivedinput, a layered view that presents the user interface of the contentselection application layered over the first application; presenting,through the user interface of the content selection application, aplurality of block portions of content of the first application whereineach of the plurality of block portions of content is respectivelyidentified by a bounding box; receiving, through the user interface, asingle and non-continuous click action for selection of a block portionof the plurality of block portions of the content; and in response to areceipt of the single and non-continuous click action, selecting, viathe content selection application, the block portion of the content. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the single and non-continuous clickaction is a device input.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the singleand non-continuous click action is a touch input.
 4. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving, through the content selectionapplication, a selection of a user interface feature for copying theselected block portion of the content; and copying the selected blockportion of the content based on the received selection for copying theselection block portion of the content.
 5. The method of claim 4,further comprising: receiving, through the content selectionapplication, a user interface selection to paste the selected blockportion of the content; and pasting the block portion of the content inanother application based on the received selection to paste theselected block portion of the content.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, through the content selection application, aselection of a user interface feature for identifying block portions ofcontent within the first application, and wherein the plurality of blockportions of content is presented in the user interface based on thereceived selection of the user interface feature.
 7. The method of claim1, further comprising: detecting, via the content selection application,source code associated with the content of the first application, andwherein the block portion of content is selected from the firstapplication based on an analysis of the detected source code.
 8. Asystem comprising: at least one processor; and a memory operativelyconnected with the at least one processor storing computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causesthe at least one processor to execute a method that comprises:executing, by a computing device, a first application that comprisescontent; receiving, by the computing device, an input that triggersactivation of a user interface for a content selection application;displaying, based on the received input, a layered view that presentsthe user interface of the content selection application layered over thefirst application; presenting, through the user interface of the contentselection application, a plurality of block portions of content of thefirst application wherein each of the plurality of block portions ofcontent is respectively identified by a bounding box; receiving, throughthe user interface, a single and non-continuous click action forselection of a block portion of the plurality of block portions of thecontent; and in response to a receipt of the single and non-continuousclick action, selecting, via the content selection application, theblock portion of the content.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein thesingle and non-continuous click action is a device input.
 10. The systemof claim 8, wherein the single and non-continuous click action is atouch input.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the executed methodfurther comprises: receiving, through the content selection application,a selection of a user interface feature for copying the selected blockportion of the content; and copying the selected block portion of thecontent based on the received selection for copying the selection blockportion of the content.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the executedmethod further comprises: receiving, through the content selectionapplication, a user interface selection to paste the selected blockportion of the content; and pasting the block portion of the content inanother application based on the received selection to paste theselected block portion of the content.
 13. The system of claim 8,wherein the executed method further comprises: receiving, through thecontent selection application, a selection of a user interface featurefor identifying block portions of content within the first application,and wherein the plurality of block portions of content is presented inthe user interface based on the received selection of the user interfacefeature.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the executed method furthercomprises: detecting, via the content selection application, source codeassociated with the content of the first application, and wherein theblock portion of content is selected from the first application based onan analysis of the detected source code.
 15. A computer storagenon-transitory media storing computer-executable instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor toexecute a method comprising: executing, by a computing device, a firstapplication that comprises content; receiving, by the computing device,an input that triggers activation of a user interface for a contentselection application; displaying, based on the received input, alayered view that presents the user interface of the content selectionapplication layered over the first application; presenting, through theuser interface of the content selection application, a plurality ofblock portions of content of the first application wherein each of theplurality of block portions of content is respectively identified by abounding box; receiving, through the user interface, a single andnon-continuous click action for selection of a block portion of theplurality of block portions of the content; and in response to a receiptof the single and non-continuous click action, selecting, via thecontent selection application, the block portion of the content.
 16. Thecomputer storage non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein the singleand non-continuous click action is one selected from a group consistingof: a device input and a touch input.
 17. The computer storagenon-transitory media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprising:receiving, through the content selection application, a selection of auser interface feature for copying the selected block portion of thecontent; and copying the selected block portion of the content based onthe received selection for copying the selection block portion of thecontent.
 18. The computer storage non-transitory media of claim 17,wherein the method further comprising: receiving, through the contentselection application, a user interface selection to paste the selectedblock portion of the content; and pasting the block portion of thecontent in another application based on the received selection to pastethe selected block portion of the content.
 19. The computer storagenon-transitory media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprising:receiving, through the content selection application, a selection of auser interface feature for identifying block portions of content withinthe first application, and wherein the plurality of block portions ofcontent is presented in the user interface based on the receivedselection of the user interface feature.
 20. The computer storagenon-transitory media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprising:detecting, via the content selection application, source code associatedwith the content of the first application, and wherein the block portionof content is selected from the first application based on an analysisof the detected source code.